Dave Rennie weighs in on 'reluctant captain' Scott Barrett

All Blacks head coach Dave Rennie has revealed the conversations he had with former captain Scott Barrett before naming Ardie Savea as the team’s captain, after Barrett was named in the upcoming Bledisloe Cup squad.

Rennie’s 34-man squad to take on the Wallabies featured several notable inclusions, with Shannon Frizell and Barrett returning to the All Blacks for the first time in 2026.

Barrett will have a different role under Rennie, returning to the All Blacks environment without the captaincy. Barrett’s inclusion to the 34-man squad squeezed out Blues lock Sam Darry, while Patrick Tuipulotu is also missing, but through injury.

Talking to New Zealand media while in Australia, Rennie explained the situation with Barrett and Savea, and how the conversations with Barrett went at the start of the international season.

“I think when I got appointed, I spoke a lot to Scooter [Barrett], and it was more around how he found the captaincy, the leadership group, and lots of things around that, and so he and I had a conversation around where he was at,” Rennie said after naming his 34-man squad.

“I think he was a bit of a reluctant captain, very proud to do that for his country, and obviously with an injury he ended up having that he wasn’t available to play anyway. So, even when I was having conversations with Scooter, I hadn’t told him that Ardie would be the captain or anything, and we made that appointment quite late.”

The All Blacks head coach gave context to the 89-Test lock’s rehabilitation, and how important he will be going forward.

“But look, he’s impressive. He’s obviously excited to be back in the mix, and he’s worked incredibly hard. It’s been frustrating for him because he had a bit of a sabbatical to try and get the body right, and he went away and did different things, you know, in league and AFL.

“Then obviously had an issue that set him back a few months, so we’re rapt to have him back in. He brings a lot of experience, and he’s an excellent player. You know, he’s one of the best locks in the world. And so we’re excited to have him back in.

“And while he won’t captain the side, he’ll be an important part from a leadership perspective for us.”